In automobiles, services and inspections, such as the replacements of the engine oil, tires and parts depending on the driven distance, must be made in addition to legal inspections provided by law. Such various services and inspections with the driven distance are explained in the manual and/or specification and the like of the automobile, but the user or owner will often forget that such time has come and this may cause a failure, a malfunction, and unsafe conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,986 discloses a device whereby the position variation of a rotary member, driven by and operatively connected with an integrating odometer, is detected and the service and inspection time is detected and indicated by the run distance.
In such prior device, a plurality of rotary members, corresponding to the number of service and inspection items, driven by and operatively connected with the integrating odometer, are provided. Each rotary member is provided with an indicating element and is so formed as to be stopped at a predetermined rotary angle for each item by a stopper or abutment. The indication is held in this position so that the indicating element may be visually perceived from outside and, unless the service and inspection are made according to the indicated item and the resetting operation is made, the indication will be continued. After the fixed service and inspection, the resetting member is consciously operated, the corresponding rotary member, held in the stopped state and making an external indication is released, is reset to the start position and is again made to perform a time detecting operation with the run distance.
In such prior device, in case the operating manner, such as a setting button operating the resetting member, is projected on the front surface of the meter case of the instrument panel, there is a danger of misoperation due to the resetting button being unintentionally pushed by the driver, or being pushed by the contact with a hand in cleaning the car body, or being pushed mischievously by a third person. As a result, the rotary member having rotated with the progress of the run distance and having counted, it will return to its original position. Therefore the indicating device will start from the integrated distance on the way, and the next time indication will be made as having said integrated distance added therein. Therefore, the service and inspection time will not be detected accurately, the device will become useless, and no effective or timely service and inspection will be made and a failure may result.
Further, in said prior device, an opening, such as a window, is usually made on the surface opposed to the path of the rotary indicating member of the outer plate of the case of the instrument panel so that the indicating element of the rotary member may be visually perceived from outside the case. The indicating element is illuminated with the reflection of outside light during the daytime, or with an illuminating device, such as a miniature bulb, provided in the case at night so as to be visually perceivable from outside. In such device, in order to improve the visual perceptibility of the indicating element, such as a dial, the window must be made close so as to take in more external light in the daytime, or must be illuminated with the light of a miniature bulb at night so as to apply more reflected light of the miniature bulb to the indicating element by increasing the distance of the window from the indicating element. As evident from this, the respective conditions in the reflected illumination in the daytime and at night are opposed to each other, and it is difficult to obtain a visual perceptibility favorable both in daytime and night.